On July 16, the meeting of the UN Security Council is going to be convened on the demand of Russia. The agenda of this meeting is Ukrainian law regulating the status of Ukrainian language as official one.
It is worth mentioning that Russia has recently tried to convene the meeting of the UN Security Council addressing the same agenda (on May 20, 2019), but this offer was rejected by other members of the Security Council. The pretext of another meeting of the UN Security Council is enactment of the Ukrainian language law. However, it still remains unknown how Ukrainian Law “On the Security of Ukrainian Language as the State Language” may become the menace to international security.
On July 3, Ukraine presented its official position on this matter stating that the law on status of Ukrainian as state language does not contain any risks for international security and the UN Security Council does not have jurisdiction over this case.
Adoption of this law by Ukrainian parliament served as excuse for the Russian Federation to start military aggression against Ukraine, which was acknowledged by the UN.
“Protection of Russian-speaking people” has become the reason for Russia to excuse military aggression, annexation and occupation of the territories of sovereign country, to support terrorism and infinite number of violations of human rights at these occupied territories.
Let’s skip the legal formalities and take a look at modern Ukrainian reality. We can see that Russian language is quite widespread all over Ukraine, it is freely used in all areas of life and even dominates in several regions of Ukraine. Newly elected Ukrainian President V. Zelensky often uses Russian language during his public speeches. How could we say about any restrictions of Russian language in Ukraine therefore?
Russia’s claim of “risk” from law, which only determines the status of Ukrainian as state language, is highly hypocritical, as far as Russia has a much tougher Law No. 53-ФЗ “On the State Language of the Russian Federation” of June 01, 2005, which in fact, deprives the indigenous peoples of the Russian Federation of the right to use and learn their native languages.
Russia’s accusations of Ukraine and attempts to convene the UN Security Council at the drop of a hat is just the instrument for Russia to distract world community’s attention and to skip responsibility for numerous violations of international law and aggression against Ukraine. It is the intention to protect Russian language in Ukraine, because there is no need to protect it.
This law is just an internal affair of Ukraine, its implementation does not affect any international contracts or obligations of Ukraine. It is worth to admit, that even Russian delegation cannot explain why Russia convenes the meeting of the UN Security Council devoted to another state’s internal law, while abusing its power of the member of UN Security Council. The Russian delegation does not give any explanation, because there is no real explanation for that. UN Security Council is usually convened to discuss issues of global security.
Discussion on Ukrainian language law, inspired by Russia in the UN Security Council is also the way to skip discussing illegal actions of Russia, which precisely worth being discussed by the UN Security Council. Among them are the issues of MH-17 downed by the Russian militaries in the sky of Donbas, attack on Ukrainian military boats in Azov Sea and illegal capture of Ukrainian military sailors, as well as refusal to discharge them despite of the ruling of international courts. They may be supplemented by the issues of years–long military aggression against Ukraine, disregard of obligations to support de-escalation at the East of Ukraine, stirring up national and religious strife within Ukrainian society.
The desire to hide all these long-time brutal violations of international law is the true reason for Russia to convene UN Security Council’s meeting.
We expect that the meeting of the UN Security Council, held on July 16 will take the issues concerning Ukrainian language law off the table and deprive Russia of the right to use international tribunes to avoid revealing its own crimes and bearing indivertible responsibility for them.
